§ 2.17 p.m.
§ EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I desire to ask the Question of which I have already given Private Notice: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make a statement to the House, before the adjournment for the Summer Recess, as to the result of the Inquiry which was ordered into the facts of the crossing of the border between the Yemen and the Federation of South Arabia by British troops.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, my right honourable friend the Minister of Defence has only just received the very full and detailed report of the Court of Inquiry into the Yemen border incident. There has not yet been time to give the report the careful study that it deserves, and there is a possibility of disciplinary proceedings. For these reasons I am sorry that I am not yet in a position to make a statement.
§ EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I must say, on behalf of Parliament, that this is most unreasonable. This House is adjourning to-day, and the other place will be adjourning to-morrow or Friday, until the last week in October. In the meantime this Inquiry, which was ordered weeks ago, on a single, simple incident, is available to the Government but is not available to this House. I think that is quite an impossible position for the Government to take up. I think they ought to make a statement to this House to-day.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, I am sorry that the noble Earl should feel that way. The difficulty is that the report was received by my right honourable friend only very late on Monday night, and in the circumstances I think it would be right that he and his Ministry should have the chance of looking into it and coming to their own conclusions. But as soon as that detailed study has been carried out, I will naturally inform the noble Earl of the result.
§ EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for the last offer; but I do not think that it meets the point of view of Parliament.